Denmark

Denmark: Life expectancy of wind turbines exceeds 20 years Ingeniøren, 2010-11-26
Life expectancy of a wind turbine is likely to exceed the 20 years they are designed for, the journal states. In Denmark, there are 2,663 wind turbines that have been in operation for more than 20 years and still are producing electricity, according to data from the Danish energy authority (Energistyrelsen).

Europe

Governments promote large North Sea electricity grid Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2010-12-07
The governments of different states in Europe promote the construction of a large electricity grid on the bottom of the North Sea. Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK signed a respective letter of intent under the aegis of the European Commission on the weekend of 4/5 December 2010.

Germany

Federal state intends to acquire 45.01% stake in EnBW from EDF Press Release, 2010-12-06
The federal state of Baden-Württemberg announced on 6 December 2010 that it intends to acquire the 45.01% shareholding in Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW) held by Electricité de France (EDF). According to EnBW CEO Hans-Peter Villis, the federal state's planned share purchase and the associated announcement that it intends to return the shareholding to the capital market following the acquisition opens up further opportunities for the company's growth.

Eon Ruhrgas CEO rules out complete sale of the company Financial Times Deutschland, 2010-12-08
It is unclear whether German energy group Eon will keep all stakes in its subsidiary Eon Ruhrgas. Eon Ruhrgas CEO Klaus Schäfer would not make a clear statement regarding speculations according to which parts of the company are up for sale.

President approves longer running times for nuclear plants Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2010-12-09
The German President Christian Wulff has signed the legislative package regarding the extension of the life-span of the 17 nuclear plants in Germany by on average 12 years. Several German federal states governed by the SPD party now intend to file a lawsuit with the German federal constitutional court against the extension of the life-span of nuclear plants.

Netherlands

Gas policy will generate 13,600 jobs by 2020 Het Financieele Dagblad, 2010-12-08
Research bureau Brattle Group has investigated the affects of the Dutch government's policy of positioning the Netherlands as a centre of gas trading and transport. It concludes that the policy would generate 13,600 jobs between 2010 and 2020 and an economic benefit of EUR 21.40bn (USD 28.34bn).

Spain

Changes to wind and solar energy feed-in tariff approved Energias Renovables, 2010-12-06
The royal decree heralding changes to the feed-in tariff for wind and solar energy in Spain has been approved, which will reduce the wind energy premium by 35% from now until 2012 (they will then recover the value of the premiums from the start of 2013), while for solar thermoelectric facilities, during the first year of operation they will have to be part of the regulated tariff and will not have the option for a premium.

Sweden

Call to change wind power veto rights for local authorities Svenska Dagbladet, 2010-12-06
76% of wind power contractors say new regulations introduced by the Swedish government in 2009 to speed up the application process for new wind power have made it more difficult to build turbines at good wind power locations. This is according to a survey by Swedish Wind Energy (Svensk Vindenergi).

The main problem with the new regulations is that local authorities have been given the right of veto for wind power plans, and are not required to explain why they oppose new wind turbines. 380 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 1,000 MW, have to date been stopped by this new veto and another 750 wind turbines, with a total capacity of 2,000 MW, are under threat of being stopped. According to Annika Helker Lundström, chief executive at Swedish Wind Energy, many of these turbines were planned in areas that have previously been highlighted as suitable for wind farms.

United Kingdom

CCC reveals ambitious emission reduction goal Guardian, 2010-12-07
UK greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 2030 by 60% under plans revealed by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC). The target, which is relative to emission levels for 1990, would become the world's first legally binding target for 2030, if it becomes law, and is geared to allowing a legally binding reduction by 2050 of 80%.

The UK electricity market would need to undergo a total revamp to attain the 2030 goal, rendering it more or less zero carbon, while 11mn hybrid or electric vehicles would need to replace petrol-driven models. The CCC's chair Lord Turner says that nations taking action to address emissions will create benefits in economic terms, saying that considerable risks are posed by not taking action.

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Vattenfall is a European energy company with approximately 20,000 employees. For more than 100 years we have electrified industries, supplied energy to people's homes and modernised our way of living through innovation and cooperation. We now want to make fossil-free living possible within one generation.